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Annie Brown

   Annie Brown is a 15-year-old female who is brought to your office by her mother. Annie ran away from home when she was 13 because of a sexually abusive and violent father and mother who was unwilling or unable to stop the abuse. Her father has recently been convicted of assault and jailed. Annie's mother is trying to put her life back together and is also trying to make a home for Annie, who she found through the Salvation Army, and who has been home, now, for only two weeks.

Annie survived on the streets by prostitution and petty theft. She has come to you because of a vaginal discharge and some itching and burning on urination. Her mother is also worried that she might have some other health problems associated with her life-style of the last two years.

Question 1 - Single Best Answer

Annie is obviously in need of psychological counseling which you understand that both she and her mother are getting. The MOST worrisome physical problem(s) she could be suffering from is/are   Bugs Database

malnutrition
cancers of the female genitalia
infectious diseases, including AIDS
pregnancy
both C and D

Question 2 - Single Best Answer

What are three of the four major groups of pathogens that can cause infectious diseases?   Bugs Database

E. coli, Salmonella, and AIDS
prokaryotes, metakaryotes, and eukaryotes
viruses, bacteria, and fungi
protozoa, worms, and bacteria
symbionts, commensals, and parasites

Question 3 - Single Best Answer

Pathogens can be either prokaryotes or eukaryotes. Which are viruses?   Bugs Database

prokaryotes
eukaryotes
neither

Question 4 - Single Best Answer

Which of the following are prokaryotes?   Bugs Database

plasmodia
herpes
people
Neisseria
more than one of the above

Question 5 - Best 2 Answers

Why is it important to know which microbes are prokaryotes and which are eukaryotes?   Bugs Database

most antibiotics are directed against the prokaryotes
eukaryotes cause much more serious disease
there are no vaccines for diseases caused by prokaryotes
viruses that are human pathogens only replicate in eukaryotic cells
it is not important to know

Question 6 - Single Best Answer

What is the major difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes?   Bugs Database

only eukaryotes have peptidoglycan
viruses only replicate in prokaryotes
only prokaryotes have mitochondria
only eukaryotes have a cell membrane
only eukaryotes have a nuclear membrane

Getting back to Annie, you note that she looks much older than her age, is somewhat tired and drawn, but looks in reasonably good health. A pelvic exam reveals erythema of the vulvar area and a discharge with the consistency of cottage cheese. She tells you it is also somewhat uncomfortable to urinate. When you ask her about her menstrual periods, she says she has not had a period in about three months.

Question 7 - Single Best Answer

Which of the four major groups of pathogens could be causing Annie's presenting problem (vaginal discharge with itching and pain when urinating)?   Bugs Database

bacteria
virus
parasite
fungus
any or all of the above

Question 8 - Single Best Answer

Which of the following specific agents is the most likely to produce the very thick discharge you have seen?   Bugs Database

Trichomonas vaginalis
Gardnerella vaginalis
Candida albicans
Neisseria gonorrhoea
Chlamydia trachomatis

Question 9 - Single Best Answer

What implements would you need to diagnose her problem?   Bugs Database

microscope
x-ray machine
CAT scanner
agar plates and an incubator
none -- you can tell just by looking

Treatment of a sample of the discharge with KOH (potassium hydroxide) reveals no unusual odor. Microscopic exam of the KOH treated preparation reveals yeast and pseudomycelia. A wet mount does not reveal any motile organisms. A Gram stain shows PMN's but no intracellular Gram negative diplococci.

Question 10 - Single Best Answer

What in the world are Gram negative diplococci?   Bugs Database

a part of the endoplasmic reticulum
a kind of bacterium with a double layered cell wall
what mitochondria in PMN's are sometimes called
a rod-shaped bacterium
a protozoan parasite that stays in mating pairs, microbial love-bugs

Question 11 - Single Best Answer

The exam of Annie's discharge with the microscope confirms a diagnosis of____   Bugs Database

Trichomonas vaginalis
Gardnerella vaginalis
Candida albicans
Neisseria gonorrhoea
Chlamydia trachomatis

Question 12 - Single Best Answer

What are some things that can increase the likelihood of a disease-producing Candida infection?   Bugs Database

AIDS
antibiotic treatment
sex with a partner who is infected
two of the above
all of the above

Question 13 - Single Best Answer

Her Candida is an endogenous infection. But pathogens can be passed from person to person (horizontal transmission) in a variety of ways. Besides the most popular way (sexual) what are some other routes of horizontal transmission?   Bugs Database

transplacental transmission
respiratory
ingestion
through a break in the skin
more than one of the above

Question 14 - Single Best Answer

What are some other tests that you would order for Annie?   Bugs Database

VDRL
HIV
fluorescent antibody assay for chlamydia
A and C above
all of the above

Question 15 - Single Best Answer

You think that an HIV test is very important because vaginal candidiasis is one of the signs of AIDS unique to women. What is another?   Bugs Database

increased outbreaks of Herpes lesions
invasive cervical cancer
tuberculosis
cryptosporidiosis
gonorrhea

Question 16 - Single Best Answer

Would you recommend a pregnancy test?   Bugs Database

definitely
only if her mother says its o.k.
only if Annie wants one

Annie took the pregnancy test. It was positive. She refused the HIV test.

Question 17 - Single Best Answer

How does one screen for the presence of HIV?   Bugs Database

count CD4 cells
look for antibody to the virus with the Elisa test
look for the lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma
look for antibody with a Western blot
all of the above

Question 18 - Single Best Answer

Does the fact that Annie is pregnant change your concern that she have an HIV test?   Bugs Database

yes
no

Question 19 - Single Best Answer

If the HIV test is positive, could you discuss the possibility of an abortion?   Bugs Database

yes
no

Question 20 - Single Best Answer

If the HIV test is positive and she wanted to have the baby, how would you treat her?   Bugs Database

acyclovir
AZT
thymidine kinase
methotrexate
rifampicin

Question 21 - Single Best Answer

What is the causative agent of AIDS?   Bugs Database

a double-stranded DNA virus
a virus that contains two strands of RNA
a virus with circular RNA
a helical virus
it is not caused by a microbe, its just a response to a life style

  When you explained to Annie that you could help her baby if she was infected with HIV, she allowed you to do a test. Unfortunately it was positive. However she was treated with AZT and the baby, Danny Brown, was born HIV negative. Danny grew up and went to medical school. Annie was later treated with the new protease inhibitors and survived to see Danny graduate and go on to become a famous psychiatrist who developed and became famous for a successful intervention program for abusive fathers.


   

 Location: http://medinfo.ufl.edu/year2/mmid/a1aq.html
  Updated: October 6, 2005

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